08 March 2010

it's all about love

Future possibilities update:

I found that the Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Phoenix has an MA program in Teaching English as a Second Language, and many graduates of that program continue at NAU in their PhD program in Applied Linguistics. Um, yes, exactly what I want to do! However, there are endless possibilities. Going to graduate school at UND may produce the same benefits as going to graduate school at NAU, but UND will probably be much cheaper since I'm a ND resident and could just live at home.... Application deadlines approaching.....

Anyway, I was thinking just now that we humans are very selfish, and I am no exception.

It's all about us, all about our needs and desires being met, and what we can get out of things, people, situations, etc. Something in us constantly causes us to seek out love, identity, belonging, and acceptance everywhere we go. A lot of times we tend to mix up seeking love with seeking selfishness. As everyone else puts it, (pardon the cliché) we look for love in all the wrong places. I think this makes us refuse love for others. That's sad. I've been the victim of such a hate crime many times, and I've also been the culprit countless times. Forgiveness. Grace. Love, unconditional love. Trust. These four elements are key in relationships of all kinds. If only we could see that God forgives, is gracious to, unconditionally loves, and trusts his children (God trusting us.. hmmm, may be an interesting topic to discuss later), maybe we could pour that out to others selflessly without expecting anything back. This is my ambition. It all comes down to the love of God, receiving it freely, and pouring it out. Simple.

p.s. Tonight I made ginger fried rice (thank you, Smitten Kitchen!). It's kind of bland as is, especially considering I had to sub peanut oil with olive oil and leeks for green onions. Blah, thank you, non-cultured North Dakota grocery stores. The ginger fried rice is to be served with soy sauce and a fried egg. Sounds a bit more exciting than just plain rice. Whee!